


The Love Puzzle

by crockershaven



Category: Haven - Fandom
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-21
Updated: 2015-09-21
Packaged: 2018-04-22 17:22:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,719
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4843904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crockershaven/pseuds/crockershaven
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is super cheesy and it was just something I needed to get out of my head. I wrote it for my girl SpiritQuartz who shares my love of Duke and Mara. I apologize for any grammar issues or tense changes. It's 3:30 in the morning but I needed to get it out and published.</p><p>Please be gentle with your comments hahaha. </p><p>Love & Light<br/>Crocker's Haven</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Love Puzzle

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SpiritQuartz](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpiritQuartz/gifts).



He shifts, from flat on his back to his side, arms reaching out for her in his sleepy state. He feels her body mold against his and he can feel the smile form on his face without even having to try. He’s just about to slip back into that wonderful sleepful bliss when he hears it. He stretches his legs and then stills, listening again. It’s soft, and faint, but it’s like his ears are super tuned. He carefully pulls away from Mara, smirking when she grumbles in her sleep and pulls his pillow closer. 

He slides his boxers up his legs and makes his way out of their bedroom and straight across the tiny hall of the Cape Rouge. He flicks on the lamp in the corner, soft light glowing as he moves over to look down into the crib. Her face is all screwed up and she’s making her pre awakening sounds and he wants to give Mara as much extra sleep as possible. 

He dips his hands down, lifting their daughter to his shoulder in one smooth move. It amazes him how easily he handles her when a short two weeks ago, he was afraid to hold her for fear of breaking her. Her entire little head fits in his hand and her legs don’t go much past his elbow quite yet. He has one hand on her head and the other on her bottom as he leans her away from his body, looking down at her. 

Her eyes are open now, blinking slowly before she stops to peer up at him. There’s this old soul awareness to their daughter. Like she’s been around the block before, so to speak. It’s not a Mara and Audrey kind of situation but he feels a spirit in their child that he just can’t explain. The moment Mara forced him to hold their newborn daughter, still covered in vernix and other things he doesn’t wish to think about, his eyes met hers and it was like he’d known her forever. One more piece to the love puzzle that he was finally putting the finishing touches on. 

He turns and moves to lay her down on the changing table. The mat is soft and the cover fuzzy and he swears he hears the baby make a content sigh as she snuggles against it. He hides a chuckle, not wanting to disturb her or wake up Mara. He quickly changes her wet diaper, tossing the old one into the can before quickly sanitizing his hands and picking her up again. 

He moves over to the rocking chair and he sits down, rocking back and forth slowly. He prefers to hold her to his shoulder, his cheek pressed to hers so that he can whisper in her ear. One hand cups her little diapered bottom and the other rubs the fine dark hairs on her head. His hair is once again long and since he neglected to pull it back before going into her, her little fists have gripped it tightly. 

“There’s a story Daddy hasn’t told you yet,” his voice is husky and low as he turns his head slightly, kissing the tiny ear he’s whispering into. “Daddy hasn’t told you how you got your name. You see, there was this woman. She was funny and she was smart and she could make everyone around her smile. She’s actually how Daddy managed to meet your Mama. She was one of those people who were too bright, too good to stick around this crazy place called Earth but I’m pretty sure when we lost her, she became a star in the sky, looking down over us. When Mama told me that you were on your way, I have to admit, I was scared. Secretly, I always wanted to be someone’s Daddy. Technically, you have a half-sister, but she’s older than you and she lives with a really great family. Maybe someday you’ll be able to meet her.”

He pauses, still rocking the baby against his chest. He peeks down, surprised that her eyes are still open, but he’s so engaged in her, in the story, that he doesn’t notice the shadow in the doorway. He kisses his daughter’s fingers, before picking up the story. “So when you were born and we saw that you were a girl, Mama and Daddy both knew that your name had to be Jennifer. Your other name, your middle name, comes from Mama’s sister, Auntie Audrey. There’s a story to that too, but we have lots of times for more stories, Jacie.” 

He pauses at the nickname, remembering when Nathan came up with it. Jennifer was a mouthful and felt to formal and neither he nor Mara really liked Jenny and Duke didn’t think he’d be able to call her Jenn without all of those memories, and some of the guilt, washing over him. Nathan had been holding her while Duke and Mara were lovingly fighting out different nicknames for their daughter when he looked up from his niece and waited for them to take a breath before saying “JC. Jennifer Crocker. She could even spell in Jacie later in life if it makes things easier. Then she still has Jennifer’s name but she’s her own person with her own name.”

Duke should have been surprised, but he wasn’t. Nathan was his best friend, his brother. As clueless as Nathan could be, at times, he was always coming up with solutions to the deeper stuff. Mara and Duke had agreed on the nickname and the baby had become Jacie to the town of Haven. It felt like all of Haven had visited in the last two weeks and he was glad the flow of visitors had slowed down. 

He was just starting to speak again when Jacie made her bird like screech against his shoulder. “Oh, I know that sound and I also know that Daddy cannot do anything to help with that,” he started to stand up when Mara came into the nursery and he froze a bit, giving her a slanted grin. “How long have you been awake for?” he asked as he shifted up, moving so that she could sit down in the rocking chair. 

Mara smirked at him, shifting to lift her feet onto the ottoman before undoing the snap on the nursing tank she wore. She held her arms out for their daughter, pulling her close when Duke laid her in her arms. She pressed a kiss to the side of her daughter’s head, inhaling her intoxicating baby scent before helping her to get latched on. She looked up to see Duke reaching for a burp cloth on the change table, extending her free hand to take it from him and drape it over her shoulder. 

“I’ve been awake since you got up to get her. I appreciate you holding her off as long as possible but you’re not the only one who can hear her pre-wake up sounds,” she smiled lovingly at him, cupping his face with her hand when he leaned down to kiss her. “I’m glad you finally told her about her name. I was wondering how long it was going to take you,” she said as a thousand emotions ran across her face, thoughts running through her head. She held the same burden, the same guilt, as he did but she tried to push it aside, to enjoy the moments with her daughter and her husband, to know that the end of the Troubles was coming and that Jacie was the key to it all. 

“Mmm, I hadn’t exactly planned on it but once we were in the rocker, it just started to pour out. Maybe another night this week I’ll tell her how her dopey Uncle Nathan figured out her nickname. There’s so many Nathan stories to tell her before she actually will begin to remember them,” he gave Mara another quick, dashing grin that made him look like a pirate with a heart of gold. 

Mara gave a quick, soft laugh as she pulled him in for another kiss. Duke crouched down, kissing Jacie’s bare foot as she nursed, his thumb rubbing along the bottom of the tiny foot. It amazed him that her foot was just barely bigger than his thumb. She had certainly changed and grown in the short two weeks since she’d been born, but she was still impossibly small to him. 

He turned his head, pressing his bare lips to Mara’s bare shoulder, letting his lips linger as she lifted her free hand to move her fingers through his hair. His chest felt full, like it was about to explode, and he closed his eyes against the burn of tears. Happy tears, but tears none the less. He looked up at his wife, his eyes wet. “Thanks for loving me enough to stay,” he whispered and they both knew what he meant.

Mara smiled, brushing her thumb under his eyes and tucking his hair back out of his face. “Thanks for loving me enough to anchor me and allow me to stay,” she whispered, leaning in to kiss him again. She rested her head against his, closing her eyes and enjoying the peace and quiet of the night, the sound of the waves lapping against the side of the boat. They still had work to do, and a lot of it, but this time none of them were worried about how it was all going to end. 

Love, especially true love, wins out each and every time. And what she and Duke had, a love that had spanned worlds that most people couldn’t fathom, was exactly what was needed. That same love that had created the miracle she cradled in her arms. She sighed, a happy and content sound, which was quickly echoed by her husband. She smiled and opened her eyes, watching the look of absolute love and joy on Duke’s face as he watched her and their daughter. A look that he hadn’t had but had so deserved. A warm feeling grew in the pit of her stomach to realize that despite the Troubles and despite William, dreams were still coming true and would continue to come true when all was said and done and Haven was once again safe.


End file.
